Flavor Revelations: Lessons in Home Taste-Testing

One of the joys of buying coffee is knowing that there's an abundance of choice. Coffee is grown in more than 70 countries around the world and each has its own distinct flavor and body, but how do you decide which coffee is perfect for you? Should you try Kenyan, Costa Rican or Sumatran? A blend of Brazilian and Colombian or Mocha and Jamaican? Medium roast or dark roast?

A good way to try new coffees is to do what coffee professionals do: organize a tasting session. Taste-testing, known as "cupping," is a fairly simple procedure that doesn't require any special equipment. All you really need to know is a little coffee lingo - the words to describe the tastes and smells that you will encounter. You might also want to learn about the particular characteristics of each coffee-growing region. That way, you can better analyze the blends you're testing or create your very own.

Before you start

You should know a few basics about the most important instrument used in cupping - your tongue!

The tongue is divided into separate regions, each containing taste buds that recognize specific flavors, such as bitterness, acidity, sweetness, and saltiness. When taste-testing coffee, it's important to pull the liquid over all parts of the tongue and slosh it around your mouth. That's the best way to experience all the coffee's flavor subtleties.

Are you ready? If you're organizing a cupping session, you'll need three types of coffees… and two friends!

What you'll need

• 9 6-oz. cups or glass bowls
• 3 teaspoons of whole coffee beans for each type of coffee
• 4 cups of fresh, cold water
• 3 teaspoons
• 3 note pads and 3 pencils

Getting ready

Arrange three sets of three cups on a table or counter. If possible, set up the testing area next to a sink so you can more easily spit out each sample and rinse your spoon between tests.

Measure and grind

Measure 1 teaspoon of coffee beans per person. Grind the beans coarsely (to the consistency of cornmeal), then put 1 teaspoon into each cup. Repeat this for each coffee sample and make sure to wipe the grinder clean between samples. Write the names of the coffees on cards and place them face down under the appropriate cups.

Heat the water

Fill a pot or kettle with cold tap water or bottled water. If using tap water, let the tap run for a few seconds to make sure the water is cold and well aerated. Bring the pot or kettle of water to the boil and let it sit for 15 or 20 seconds to bring the temperature down.

Fill the cups

Fill each cup to the rim in the order that you will drink from them. This is where the fun really begins. As soon as you pour the water over the coffee, make note of the aromas that waft from the cup. At this point, you'll also notice that a crust has begun to form on the surface of each cup.

Break the crust

After allowing the coffee to cool for a couple of minutes, break the crust with your spoon and put your face close to the cup's surface. Quickly inhale the steam that rises from the cup and think about what you smell. Are the aromas sweet? sour? flowery? spicy? Write down what you experience.

Slurp and slosh

Now it's time to taste the coffee. In order to get the full effect of the coffee's flavor, vacuum-inhale a tablespoon of coffee in a quick, violent burst. Slurp and slosh the liquid around your mouth for a few seconds and then spit it out. After each spoonful, record your impressions: does the coffee taste sweet, fresh, spicy, grassy? Is it too earthy, under-ripe or astringent? Remember to be as precise as possible so you can compare your first impressions with your friends.